The Tale of Two Gerudo
by Midnight Kayari
Summary: This is the tale of Ganondorf and Nabooru from their births up until the end of OoT. It all starts when Twinrova murdurs the mother of young Ganondorf. As the children grow, their hearts will join together and be torn apart again by the cruelty of fate.
1. The Birth of A Son

Chapter One: The Birth of a Son

Deep in the Gerudo Valley bordering the deserts of Hyrule known as the Haunted Wasteland, something both great and terrible was about to happen. All life was still, holding its breath, knowing that their doom was upon them. The hours crept by slowly, inching their way towards a tragic paradox. There was nothing anyone or anything could do to stop it. It was inevitable.

In a tent on the outskirts of Gerudo fortress, the stronghold for the desert amazons, something great and terrible had occurred. A male had been born…the first male in precisely one hundred years. By law, he was to be immediately appointed to the throne. He was to become the King of the Gerudo, the King of thieves.

The mother was appalled at what had happened. She could sense the evil that would soon engulf her innocent child. He was so sweet and small, and she knew that if there wasn't a great wall in the way of his true path of destiny, then he could have remained that way. Her beloved newborn son could have become the kind king her people so desperately needed. But it was not to be. She could sense that the darkness looming around her was slowly consuming her child, even now, when he was still bathed in innocence. There was nothing she could do. However, she hatched an ingenious plan.

Her close friend, Nishiri, had recently been brought to the hospital ward. If the cards played out right, and the bloodline of Nishiri's family was in fact genuine, she would give birth to the Sage of Spirit. If Nishiri's child and her child were to meet and become close, perhaps the evil she sensed would not find its way to her son. In fact, the evil might altogether avoid the two children.

But it was never meant to be. She was playing "Russian Roulette" with the gods.

The Gerudo mother sat solemnly in her bed, cradling her child in her arms. "I won't let it have you, my son," she whispered softly into his ear. "I won't let the darkness win. Not without a fight."

Then, a pair of twin witches entered the tent. They were the infamous Koume and Kotake, the attendants of the past three kings of the Gerudo and already well over three hundred years of age. The Gerudo mother's empathy and ability to sense the different auras paled in comparison to their almost infinite wisdom.

"We hear the child is a male?" cooed Koume. She smiled too sweetly.

"Yes, the first in one hundred years," the mother replied. She cradled the child closer to her chest. Something wasn't right just now…the witches' usually calm demeanor seemed almost menacing today.

"One hundred years to the minute!" exclaimed Kotake.

"You would know…you've been around that long."

Koume and Kotake seemed to take offense at the Gerudo mother's statement. They gasped shrilly and raised their hands to their mouths in shock.

"Are you calling us old?" retorted Koume.

The Gerudo mother, immediately realizing that she had offended her superiors, quickly apologized. "No, no offense was intended! It was a compliment. That you knew exactly when the last Gerudo male was born." She held her breath, wondering if her petty excuse would work.

The two witches calmed down immediately. "Well, then, you wouldn't mind if perhaps…we were to take him off of your hands for you then?" Kotake reached for the baby and took him into her arms, yanking him viciously from the mother's arms.

"And perhaps you wouldn't mind if you got a bit more rest as well?" asked Koume.

"Yes," replied the Gerudo mother. "A little rest sounds like a fine idea to me. But…may I hold my son, please?"

"Now, now, Dearie, hush up. It's not like not holding the child for a moment or so is going to kill you now, is it?" said Kotake.

"Oh, I think that might be an understatement, sister. The loss of her child will be her very downfall."

"Now that you mention it, Koume, I think you're right," hissed Kotake in reply to her sister's sinister comment.

"What?" asked the Gerudo mother, confused now more than she was moments ago. She knew that something wasn't right! But it was far too late to do anything about it now. She struggled to push herself out of the bed, but was thrust instantly back down by an icy bolt of magic.

"Don't move, this isn't going to hurt a bit if you cooperate."

"What are you planning?" cried the Gerudo mother.

"You'll see."

The Gerudo mother opened her eyes wide in shock. She felt as if her soul was being ripped right out of her body. She looked at Koume and saw that she had twisted her fingers up as if setting a mind-control spell. She reached her arm involuntarily over to the dagger on the table used for cutting bread and grasped its hilt. She tried to fight it, but she couldn't make her fingers release their grasp on the dagger. Her arm slowly moved towards her chest, the dagger in hand, and she fought as hard as she could to stop herself, but to no avail. She knew at that moment that she was going to die. She shrieked, but by the time the guards had rushed in, Koume and Kotake had vanished along with the baby, and the Gerudo mother was lying dead in her bed, dagger protruding from her chest, blood soaking the fine linens floor, staining everything the blood red color of Gerudo hair.


	2. Dilemma of Leadership

Chapter Two: Dilemma of Leadership

And so, Twinrova had taken the child to their home in the Desert Colossus to raise him as their own. They stayed quiet and vowed to do so until 'the rebirth of spirit' occurred. Oh how they yearned for that day to come so they could continue to set their ultimate plan into action…

Peace and tranquility resumed in the Valley of the Gerudo for a time after the death and presumed suicide of the boy's mother had been accepted. Not a single Gerudo woman dared openly question the authority and word of their superiors Koume and Kotake. They had no choice but to resume their daily business. That is, until the birth of Nishiri's child.

Nishiri's bloodline had, in fact, been genuine, and she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl marked with the crest of Spirit. As the law ordered, the child would be named Nabooru, after their goddess of sand. The whole of the Gerudo society had been thrust into an uproar. How could the first son in one hundred years and the Sage of Spirit be born within the same month? It was unheard of. However, this did not stop the Gerudo from celebrating.

The Gerudo held a bonfire at the center of the camp and their best musicians got together and played their desert melodies and sang their desert hymns. From the time the sun had set and well into the cold desert night, the fire billowed its flaming warmth into the air, accompanied by festive music and dancing. The food, for once, was plentiful, and all of the women had their fill to eat. Older Gerudo women shared their stories with the younger girls of the tribe, their childish giggles echoing in the night air. The festivities seemed as though they would never end.

"Oh, Nishiri!" squealed one of the Gerudo guards. "She shall become the leader of our tribe! She'll be a fine leader, I just know it."

You see, the crest of Spirit skipped a generation, and every time the Sage of Spirit was born, she would become the next ruler, whether she was to awaken as a sage or not. However, because a son had been born prior to Nabooru's birth, her rightful place as queen would be passed over. The single male was more important than the holy Sage of Spirit to the Gerudo. They refused to thin their blood by marrying outside of the Gerudo tribe, and so they relied on the single man to keep their race going. Though they did leave their home to hold romantic relations with men outside of their tribe, it was forbidden to bear children by them.

Nishiri sighed at the thought that her daughter may never become a proper child of destiny now that her birth rights would be denied of her. "No," she said to her guard. "Nabooru will never take the throne."

"Why ever not, Nishiri?" asked the guard. "Surely not because of the boy…"

"Because of the boy, don't you remember the laws of our people? A son has been born to our tribe. His birth automatically overrides the birth of the Sage of Spirit." Nishiri raised her daughter to her face and kissed her on the forehead. Little Nabooru was so tiny, so frail…it was almost hard to believe that this was the child who may awaken into the Sage of Spirit. Already, though she was less than a day old, her dark-skinned head was topped with a soft tuft of garnet hair, the Gerudo trademark. "Oh, my dearest daughter…" sighed Nishiri regretfully.

Just then, the twin witches walked into the room, laughing merrily.

Kotake, with the baby boy in her arms, was the first to speak. "I hear the 'rebirth of spirit' has finally come. Is it true, Nishiri? Is your child the goddess reincarnated?"

Nishiri held her daughter close to her chest. As soon as the witches had come she felt a foreboding aura surrounding them. She automatically assumed that it was the boy who held this dark energy around him. She feared that the baby boy's mysterious aura would latch itself onto Nabooru, and even though Nishiri was unable to point out exactly what this feeling of uneasiness was coming from, she knew that it wasn't a good sign. She nodded back at Kotake, answering her question.

"Let us see her, dear! Let us see her mark!"

Nishiri held up her child so the witches could see her, but no farther away from her than the baby needed to be.

"Ah, she does have the mark! She will be a perfect companion for our young son. We've become his surrogate mothers, you know, since the tragic incident with his mother," said Kotake.

"What have you named him?" asked Nishiri. "Since you became the caretakers of him since his mother's suicide, have you named him?"

This time it was Koume who spoke. "We have named him Ganondorf."

Nishiri felt chills run down her spine as they spoke his name. In the ancient Gerudo language, no longer used by their people in every-day speech, 'Ganondorf' meant 'Gift of Paradise.' Why had the witches given him such a name? Surely they knew of what fate they had sealed upon the child the moment they gave that name to him. Yes, the boy was indeed a gift to their people, but that name had a dual meaning. They had sealed his fate to the power of the Gods. He would no doubt, in his own time, seek out the power of the Gods, and consumed by greed, lust for that Paradise which his namesake promised.

Kotake spoke again. "Nishiri, you must be exhausted. Why don't you get some rest? We'll be back to visit you and your holy child tomorrow night. We'll bring the meal, don't you worry."

"That's very kind of you, but I think I need a little bit of alone-time after all of this with my daughter. Besides, I have a lot of things to settle with my family about little Nabooru's lost rights to queen-ship."

"Oh, we'll negotiate about the leadership issues. You must be worried about that, no?" and with that, the two witches exited the room.


	3. The Decision

Chapter Three: The Decision

Nishiri blinked quickly a few times to rid herself of the strange, ominous feeling that she had felt with the boy and the witches around. Something just was not right. She knew that something terrible was about to happen…but she just could not put her finger on it. "What are they up to?" she asked herself. She knew that as soon as she had thought these things, she had committed treason against her tribe in her heart, but she couldn't help but wonder. And even if she had mentally committed treason, that was no reason to ignore her gut feeling of something ominous. Despite her deep concern for impending misfortune, she went to sleep, just as Koume and Kotake had told her to do, for she truly was exhausted. There was no denying her body's needs.

When she awoke from her slumber, there were two young Gerudo women playing with Nabooru. Nishiri did not recognize them at first, and nearly began to panic, but soon her clouded vision cleared as the sleep faded from her eyes. They were the women who had been assigned to her tent to guard her while she was in labor, and to help her through the birth of her child. Nishiri smiled weakly, hungry from not eating anything solid since her daughter's birth. Her stomach growled loudly, and the women looked at her. At first, they seemed startled, but then they giggled.

"My lady, would you like me to fetch you something to eat?" asked one of them. "You must be starving after that ordeal." Nishiri smiled and nodded at her. The woman ran out of the room and was back almost instantly with a platter of crow meat, a Gerudo delicacy.

After Nishiri ate heartily of her meal of crow meat, she sat up and got out of bed. She was achy from the birthing, but that wasn't about to stop her from playing with her newborn. She joined in with the two women who were playing with little Nabooru. Nishiri watched her daughter carefully. Nabooru's hair had already grown passed her chin. This was unusual, as she was less a week or so old. Nishiri could sense that Nabooru would be different than ordinary Gerudo women of her tribe. Anyways, they played late into the evening, until Twinrova arrived.

"Sorry we're late," exclaimed Koume. She was holding baby Ganondorf in her arms. He was swaddled in a tan-colored blanket. He had a small tuft of red hair adorning the top of his head. He had his small, chubby thumb in his mouth, and he was sleeping as soundly as any baby could sleep. "We stopped by the carpet weaver's guild to check up on our great niece. She's doing fine, we'll have you know. The Hylian market is in high demand right now for Gerudo-made carpets and rugs. Talka has had her hands full with all of the work they've been giving her to do. She is the Guild Master, after all. Business is booming! Oh, this is all so exciting!"

Nishiri motioned for the two Gerudo women to take Nabooru and Ganondorf somewhere else and play with them. This was no place for two small children. They would be looked after until their meal was over. The women complied, and carried the infants out of the room so that the adults could have their dinner talk.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your wonderful news. It really is wonderful that so much good is happening for our people after so much misfortune. However, weren't we going to discuss the issue of leadership?" asked Nishiri.

"Yes," replied Kotake. "Sorry for beating around the bush, but it seemed like an inappropriate subject to bring up with your nursemaids and the children in here."

"Of course," replied Nishiri. "Thank you for your concern, my ladies."

"As for the subject of ruler-ship, according to the law, both children are rightful heirs to the throne by birthright."

"Yes, I know," said Nishiri. "But what I want to know is how we are going to settle this dispute."

"Well, we had in mind that the two could become acquainted and both rule."

"Both of them? But that can't be. We can never marry."

At that, Kotake brought her fist down hard upon the table. "We never said 'marry' Nishiri. We said acquainted. We didn't even so much as mention friendship, let alone marriage." Kotake then seemed to realize that her anger had flared up, and she quickly reverted to her usual sugary-sweetness. "Nabooru would rule by his side when she comes of age."

Nishiri thought on this for a moment. True, her daughter would receive some of the benefits of the position she so deserved, but so many things could go wrong. What if the two fell in love? What would happen to the Gerudo tribe? What if Nabooru were to reject her inheritance of the sage of Spirit and give herself up to him? What if this acquaintanceship led not to romance, but to deep resentment, or even hatred? Sure, Nishiri was thinking very far into the future, but these things worried her deeply.

Koume broke the silence. "Nishiri, if this doesn't appeal to you, I'm sure Ganondorf would be perfectly content with ruling on his own. Since, of course, the male birthright does indeed override the Sage of Spirit." Koume was reeling Nishiri in. There was no doubt that she would give in to their terms, and abide by their proposal.

When Nishiri heard this, she immediately agreed to their previous proposal. She could not turn down even the slightest chance that somehow her daughter would attain her birthright. She couldn't simply throw it all away because of some unfounded fears of the distant future. Nabooru would be fated to rule by Ganondorf's side, and the fate of the Gerudo people would be in their hands.


	4. The Meeting

Chapter Four: The Meeting

Chapter Four: The Meeting

When the two children reached the age of ten and had been taught to speak according to their status, Twinrova and Nishiri arranged for them to meet. They were to become acquainted with one another and learn to make decisions together. It was to be one of the greatest turning points in the two young children's lives.

Nabooru, grown tall since her toddler days, now had beautiful sunset-red hair that reached to her waist that contrasted beautifully with her dark skin, but her mother had it pulled back into a high ponytail fitted with precious jewels. She was dressed in the typical garb of a Gerudo Princess, with a tan cloth tube-top adorned with red and blue square-like patterns and large, baggy pants that allowed for coolness in this hot desert air. Ganondorf, on the other hand, had short, fire-red hair that hung in a mess around his face. He was shorter than Nabooru, and quite skinny. He wore black attire similarly fashioned to the garb of Koume and Kotake, in a fashion more suitable for a male child. His chest was bare save for a black vest with red and blue square-like patterns, just like Nabooru's tube top.

Ganondorf, by law, was now old enough to take control of the Gerudo, with supervisors, of course. Nabooru, however, would have to wait for seven more years until she could rule along side him. All of this would have been different had the boy never been born. Nabooru would be the one being coronated this day if things went according to plan. But nothing ever went according to plan, did it? Once again, after many years, a male would rule over his female race…it seemed so unfitting.

As soon as the two Gerudo children met, they took an instant dislike to each other. "Hello, Ganondorf. My name is Nabooru. It is a pleasure to meet you."

There was no response. Ganondorf simply nodded shyly and looked away from Nabooru.

"My mother says we are to be friends."

Again, there was no reply. Ganondorf was too shy, and wouldn't say a word.

Nabooru turned and complained to her mother, "He's boring! Is he really going to be King?"

Nishiri felt tears well up in her eyes. This boy was far to timid to be their king. He was young still, but no match for the harsh tongues of the Gerudo women of the desert. Her daughter, on the other hand, was as feisty as the others, had as sharp a wit as befitting a queen, and yet she was condemned to be naught but a subject on the sidelines. "Now, Nabooru, in seven short years you will be ruling this nation as well."

"Mama, are you saying I have to rule with him? But he's…he's not normal, can't you sense it?" she looked at her mother with a stubborn, yet worried face.

"Now Nabooru, hold your tongue," her mother replied. She couldn't risk her daughter offending the future king, or his surrogate mothers. There was no end to the consequences they could lay upon the two of them. "I'm sure that in time, as you get to know each other more, you will become great friends."

"But he's a _boy_ mama! That's not normal! And how will we ever come to know eachother if he never even says a word?"

Upon hearing this, Ganondorf blushed shyly and moved to hide behind Koume and Kotake. Nishiri was right; he was as timid as a mouse.

"Nabooru, it's perfectly normal. Remember what I told you about the whole hundred year thing?"

"That's why I'm saying it is weird, mama! It's not normal!"

Koume and Kotake interjected. "Now, now dear child, just wait until you get to know him and everything will be alright." As they said this, they stared directly into her eyes. Nabooru seemed hypnotized as she nodded her head. Her arms dropped lifelessly to her sides as the life left her eyes. She didn't say a word for the rest of the meeting.

"Well," said Koume. "Everything will turn out alright. Why don't you take Nabooru home for the night, and we'll sleep on it. It's going to be a big day tomorrow, and we can't be half asleep for the reign of our new king!"

Nishiri looked down at her daughter and said, "Come, Nabooru. Let's go home."

Nabooru looked at her mother with empty eyes and nodded her head slowly, taking her hand as she was lead back to their home.

When Nishiri and Nabooru reached their home, Nabooru regained her consciousness. "Mama?" she asked. "What happened? I can't remember anything after I met that Ganondorf kid."

Nishiri looked at her daughter worriedly. She knew that Twinrova must have put a spell on her...a brainwashing spell, or perhaps a mind-suppresser. "Nabooru, how could they do such a thing to you?" she cried.

"It's okay, mama, I'm smarter than they are. I think I broke it on my own."

"You are a brave girl, Nabooru." Nishiri embraced her beautiful child, worry swirling within her. Would her daughter be subject to their tyranny for the rest of her life, forced to break free again and again? It seemed like such a life unbefitting to the one born with the mark of the Sage of Spirit. The one who was meant to be the ruler of the Gerudo. It was so unfair…

"Hey, mama? Can you…sense the evil that dwells within those witches?" asked Nabooru.

"Don't be silly, Nabooru. They are our superiors. Now off to bed!" and Nabooru followed her mother's instructions and went right to bed. Yet Nishiri knew somehow, somewhere deep inside herself, that Nabooru was right. There was evil in those women, and there wasn't a doubt in her mind that their dark nature would find its way into the heart of young Ganondorf in time.


	5. The Seperation

Chapter Five: The Separation

In the morning, Nabooru awoke to find the entire valley of Gerudo women screaming and rushing around. She could hear a shrill whooshing sound, as if more than a ton of sand was rushing towards her. "Mama!" she cried out. "Mama! Where are you, what's going on?"

Nishiri heard her daughter's cries, but was saddened that she could not reach her. "Nabooru, get out of here now! It's a sandstorm!"

"Mama, where are you? What's a sandstorm?" cried Nabooru.

"Nabooru, just do as I say! Everything is going to be alright! Go outside and find my guard. She will take you to the shelter!"

"But Mama what about you; will you be alright?"

"I'll be fine, now go!" Nishiri heard her daughter's footsteps as she ran outside, and then she could hear her tiny, yet powerful voice as she spoke with her guard. And then Nishiri began to cry. She looked down at her legs, which had been crushed by a shelf when the storm had first started up. They were both broken badly, and there was no way that she could escape. She heard the sand getting closer, and she prayed that Nabooru and the others would get to the shelter safely. She knew that she would not live to see them again.

Meanwhile, back at the Desert Colossus, Twinrova were living peacefully inside the Spirit Temple as Ganondorf slept. They laughed a horrible laugh. "Those fools," cackled Kotake. "They would never even guess that this is our doing!"

Kotake gave of a nasty chuckle and replied to her sister, "Yes, all to get rid of Nishiri. Our plan must come into place, Nabooru will become second-in-command!"

Then Ganondorf woke up. He heard the winds outside of his window, and got up to see what was going on. Koume and Kotake had taught him all about the destructive power of sandstorms. When he saw that not a grain of it was touching the Spirit Temple, he believed it was because the gods were protecting him, as he was King of the Gerudo. He laughed merrily, and then said to himself, "I hope that girl I met yesterday is okay. Mama Koume and Mama Kotake said that she was just showing off…I believe she has a good heart. I hope that the gods protect her, too…"

Hours later, the whole of Gerudo Fortress had been buried beneath the sands. Everyone had arrived safely to the shelter. Everyone, that is, except for Nishiri. They waited for her for hours, and still she did not come. It was then declared that she had died.

"Died? Guard, what does that mean?" she asked her mother's guard, who had taken her to the shelter.

"It means that she left this world."

"Did she go on vacation somewhere?" asked Nabooru innocently.

"Yes…" the guard started to cry. "But she won't be coming back, Nabooru. She's gone forever," and then she kneeled to the ground and embraced the child.

All of the Gerudo women looked at Nabooru sadly. The guard went to each of them and asked if they would take the child in, but everyone knew that she was the Sage of Spirit, and did not feel like taking on such an important responsibility. They all left the shelter after a time. Even the Guard, who, before leaving, whispered, "I'm sorry."

Nabooru was left alone in the shelter. "Oh, Mama. What shall I do now?" and she knelt down and cried.


	6. Journey to Desert Colossus

Chapter Six: Journey to Desert Colossus

When we last left off, Nabooru was abandoned in the shelter after a terrible sandstorm that took her mother's life. Unbeknownst to the world, the sandstorm had been caused by none other that Twinrova as part of their dastardly scheme to set up Ganondorf and Nabooru. If Koume and Kotake could get them to fall for each other, then they knew that their plan to take over Gerudo Valley, no, all of Hyrule, would slowly fall into place.

When Nabooru finally came to her senses, she realized that there was one place she could still go to without being shunned. She remembered Twinrova's invitation for her to stay with them should anything happen. Nabooru figured, "This is surely 'something' so I will see if at least they will accept me." Somewhere, deep inside of her heart, was telling her not to go. But her curiosity, and distraught, is what pushed her to keep going.

She walked for a long time in the desert, watching her people cry at what had become of their home. Many of them stared at Nabooru with pity as she walked down her imaginary path to the Spirit Temple. She didn't need to ask for directions, even though she had never been there before, because the essence of the Sage of Spirit within her was telling her which way to go.

Nabooru came to a vast, open sandy area. Nothing was growing anywhere, and there were no signs of life. The sky was a pale yellow, almost matching to color of the sand beneath her feet, making it impossible to tell which direction she was going. She was in the Haunted Wasteland, the forbidden area of the Gerudo territory, the only path to get to the Spirit Temple without means of magic. Nabooru walked and walked until she noticed that the sun was going down. She knew that if she could not find shelter, she would die from the bitter cold of nightfall. Night time in the desert was like walking into a deep-freezer. It would kill any living organism within its reaches.

It was then that she began to feel a dark, heavy presence behind her. "Who's there?" She called out.

Then a voice spoke to her. "It is I, your guide. I am a Poe. Do not be afraid, I have been sent here to guide you safely to the Desert Colossus, where Twinrova and Ganondorf King dwell."

Nabooru looked all around her, but could not see where the voice was coming from. "How can I trust you," she asked, "If I can not see you?"

It replied, "Only those with the eye of truth may see me with their human eyes, as I am no longer of this world. But trust not with the eyes of your body, but with the eyes of your heart. You will surely find me."

_True_, thought Nabooru. _I can sense its presence. I might as well follow it, unless I want to become a frozen princess._ She shrugged and started to follow the heavy presence. Within a period of twenty minutes or so, she had reached the Desert Colossus with the Poe guide.

"Nabooru, this is as far as I can take you, as my essence will fade if I leave the Haunted Wasteland. Fear not, as shelter had been provided with you by the good witches. I wish you luck, Spirit Child."

This last statement greatly confused Nabooru, as she had never been told that she was the Sage of Spirit before. This was to keep her identity hidden from outsiders, and for her own protection. If she were to awaken before her time, a terrible calamity would befall all of Hyrule…same as if any of the other sages were to awaken before their time had come.

Nabooru shrugged off what the Poe had said as she approached the doors of the Spirit Temple. "This is it," she breathed. "I'm finally here."


	7. Exploring the Spirit Temple

Chapter Seven: Exploring the Spirit Temple

Nabooru pushed open the doors to the Spirit Temple. Her eyes were shut tight, afraid that something might fly out at her. She stood in the doorway, with her arms stretched out in front of her as if to protect herself from the evil she sensed but could not see, until she realized that nothing was going to attack her. She lowered her arms and slowly opened her eyes.

She saw that the room was empty, and then noticed how large the room actually was. She had never seen a room so big before in her short little life. There was a short stairway with stone railings on either side of it engraved with a symbol of a moon and star. On either side of the railings were two huge Cobra statues with ancient Gerudo engravings on them. She could not make out any of it.

She walked up the stairs to find that the platform led to two other rooms, one to the left and one to the right. She played 'eeny-meeny-miney-mo" with herself to choose which way to go through. One way was a child-size opening in the wall, a little larger than she was, so she could easily make her way through and go exploring. The other was a large opening in the wall that looked as though it led to an even larger room. She decided that she had better find Koume and Kotake before she went exploring, and so she chose the opening to her right.

Through that passage way, it opened into a large room. There was a short spiraling stairway that only elevated the rest of the room about three feet or so, and not even elevating it enough to be a separate room. There was a large circular red rug placed in the center of the orange-colored stone floor. It had beautiful, intricate designs of gold woven into the rug around the edges. Nabooru was captivated by it.

She finally shook herself out of the daze that the rug had put her in, feeling a similar after-effect to the time when Koume and Kotake had brainwashed her. "Something here isn't right," she muttered to herself, but she quickly pushed that idea away. She moved onwards, entering through a doorway that led into a corridor. At the end of the corridor, there was what appeared to be a dead end, but it was really a brick ladder. Clay bricks protruded from the wall in every which way so as to provide ample space to climb up. It was like climbing a compressed stairway.

Nabooru looked up as far as she could, and still could not see the ceiling above her. Instead, all she could see was how the brick ladder faded into the darkness up above. "Maybe I shouldn't climb this...mama would never allow me to climb up something like this…" Just as she had turned away from the wall and was about to exit the room to go down another path, she heard a sugar-coated voice of an old woman calling to her.

"Nabooru, sweetie, we're up here! Would you like us to come and get you?"

_Ugh…_thought Nabooru. _Koume. Well, I don't want to risk climbing this thing and breaking my neck…but I don't want her to touch me, even if it may only be her magic._ She called back up, "No thank you, Miss Koume, but I'll climb up! I might as well get big and strong if I'm going to be a princess!"

"Are you sure?" Koume called back down to her.

"Yes, ma'am, I'm sure! I'll be up there as soon as I can!" replied Nabooru. And with that, she took a deep breath and reproached the brick ladder. If there was anything she was more afraid of than climbing that thing, it was Twinrova. She would do anything to be free of their powers, and if it meant climbing up this steep wall, so be it. She breathed in once more, and grabbed onto a protruding brick with each of her hands. "I'm coming up all by myself, don't you worry about me!"


	8. The Climb and the Fall

Chapter Eight: The Climb and the Fall

Hours had passed, and Nabooru was getting weak. She had climbed so far up that she could finally see where the brick ladder ended and where the opening to the room above began. She could see the lights emanating above her. _Just a little farther…_she thought to herself. And then it happened. Her hand slipped.

She was able to temporarily regain her balance, but she had thrust her full body weight so sudden onto the protruding brick that it broke off in her hand. Adrenaline rushed through her entire body. _I'm going to fall!_ She panicked to herself. She saw tiny crumbs of clay tumble down the wall from where the brick had broken off. And then she could feel herself falling, although to her, it seemed like she was falling in slow motion with incredible force into a pool of lead. Her heart was beating faster than she could keep up with the beats.

Nabooru screamed with all her might, in hopes that someone may hear. Anyone, anyone at all…if someone could hear her cries and come running to her before either Koume or Kotake could swoop her into the air…

But it was too late. Before she knew it, she felt a strong, small arm draped in thick Gerudo linens grab her by the waist and hoist her onto a broomstick.

"No!" screamed Nabooru. "I don't want to go on vacation forever! I don't want to run away like Mama! No! No, let go of me! Put me down, I don't want you to touch me!" She thought that it was one of the witches who had grabbed her and was about to rescue her. But then she felt another hand lift her over the side of a broom so that she could sit down behind whoever it was that had rescued her.

"Hey, it's okay. You are going to be alright." It was a strangely masculine voice for a witch. And then Nabooru realized that it wasn't either Koume or Kotake who had saved her, but Ganondorf.

She had never heard a boy's voice before, let alone "shy little Ganondorf's" voice. She relaxed herself, realizing that there was no dark presence within him, and she let herself hang onto his sleeves for fear of falling off of the broom.

"Don't worry, you won't fall. I borrowed mama Kotake's broomstick, and it had a spell so that you can't fall off unless you want to." He shuddered as he felt her tiny finger clutch his sleeves. He felt strange warmth from her hands that he had never known before. He pushed this feeling to the back of his mind, though, and then began to fly upwards towards the room above.

Nabooru rested her head on Ganondorf's back. She was exhausted from the climb and her sudden rush of adrenaline. She just wanted to sleep now, and it didn't matter that she was on a broom with her child-king. She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep.

Ganondorf started to get nervous. _Just yesterday she was calling me strange and "not normal." Why the sudden change in attitude? Is it because I saved her? Is it because something has changed? Has something happened? I hope she will be alright…_

He could feel the change of the pattern of Nabooru's breathing as she finally fell asleep. Slow, rhythmic, and serene. _She must be exhausted. When we get to the top, I'll tell mama Koume and mama Kotake to just let her sleep._

He flew all the way up to the room and lifted Nabooru off of the broomstick.

"Ganondorf! Where had you gone to, we were so worried! When we noticed that one of our broomsticks had gone missing, we feared the worst!" exclaimed Kotake.

"Nabooru fell and I heard her scream. I had to do something, mama Kotake. I couldn't let her die."

"Oh?" said Kotake. She had a look of worry on her face. It was false, though. If Ganondorf hadn't gone down to rescue her, they would have opened up a dark portal at the bottom of the floor so that Nabooru would instantly been transported to her bedroom. For convenience, not out of concern for the child.

"Well, then, aren't you the little hero. Well, we'll let her sleep for now, but it is midnight, and we won't have you just messing around. You have a nation to rule!" said Koume. "You should do something about the recent annihilation of the Fortress."

"Yes, mama Koume," said Ganondorf as he began to run off. But then he stopped in his tracks and turned around. "What does annihilation mean?"

"Why, you haven't heard? Gerudo Fortress had been completely destroyed by the sandstorm. Nabooru's mother died in the calamity."

Ganondorf's eyes widened. "What?"


	9. Heart Full of Sorrow

Chapter Nine: Heart Full of Sorrow

"What do you mean her mother is dead?" exclaimed the young King.

"Oh, we haven't told you? How rude of us," Koume said, pouring the overly-sweet tone over her words. "All of Gerudo Valley has been demolished by a sand-storm and little Nabooru's poor mother was caught up in it. She died shortly after the storm began."

"Then what is she doing here? How did she manage to wander through the desert with no water and no food?" demanded Ganondorf.

"Dear child, we told her she could come if anything were to happen. And besides," said Kotake. "She's just following the orders of her superiors."

"So you made her drag herself across the brutal desert? Mama Kotake, she is just a child!"

"Hush, child, because you are king you sometimes forget that you, too, are no more than a boy. You could manage, so why not she? You both share the blood of the Gerudo people, the most resistant people in all of Hyrule. In the entire world! We did her no evil by bringing her here," snapped Kotake.

Koume gasped shrilly. "Hush, both of you, she's waking!"

Nabooru groaned weakly, and then attempted to sit up. She rolled to her side and propped herself up into a cross-legged position. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and opened them slowly. Then, when she saw her surroundings, she panicked. "Where-where am I?" She started to drag herself backwards when she saw Kotake standing beside Ganondorf. Then she bumped into Koume and screamed. "No! Let me go home, I want to see Mama!"

Ganondorf looked at her horror-stricken face and felt his heart lurch. _What is this feeling that I have? Seeing her like this makes my heart twist up as if someone grabbed hold of it and squeezed it with their hands…I want to do something for her. Something that will make that face go away. Something that will make her smile again._ His face filled up with grim determination. He clenched his fists to the side and tightened his muscles. Neither Koume nor Kotake seemed to notice this newfound emotion within their adopted son.

"No, no, no! Let me go home! Where is my mama?" squealed Nabooru as Koume tried to lift her up.

"Nabooru…" Ganondorf stuttered. Nabooru stopped her cried, startled at his speech. "Nabooru, they aren't going to hurt you. They are good people."

"No! I…" but then she stopped herself. She knew that if she openly spoke her feelings about Twinrova, she could be executed on the spot. Not that she knew what that meant, but Nishiri had always told her that it was a very bad thing. She relaxed herself, and let Koume lift her to her feet. She sighed regretfully, realizing that she had given in to the darkness.

Ganondorf saw her face turn from horror to grief, and his heart wrenched again. The emotional pain was so great for him that he brought up one of his hands and clutched is chest. He winced at the unknown pain.

Nabooru looked up to see Ganondorf hunched over, clutching his chest and breathing heavily. She screwed up her face into a look of confusion and worry. She slapped away at Koume's hand and ran over to the boy who, she now remembered, had saved her life. "Are you all right?" she asked him sincerely, with worry in her voice.

Ganondorf smiled whole-heartedly at the thought that she, too, might care for him in the same way that he had come to care for her. He let go of his chest and took one of her hands in his, and then looked up at her with his smile of relief.

Nabooru drew her hand back and cringed away. Her worry-stricken face turned once more into a face full of fear. "Don't get the wrong idea, your highness, I was just worried." She turned away from him, her heart beating faster and faster. _What was he thinking? Holding my hand like that…my heart jumped. I never want to have that feeling again. It was too sudden for my liking._

Ganondorf followed her movements with his eyes, his face filling with sorrow. _Why am I feeling so depressed over her taking her hand back? She had every right to; after all, it is part of her body and not of mine._

Kotake and Koume locked eyes with each other and smiled to themselves as Nabooru walked clear out of the room. Their plan was coming along perfectly.


	10. Run Away

Chapter Ten: Run Away

Nabooru continued to walk through the long, clay-structured hallways, observing every single detail she could lay her eyes on. She took in everything; the carvings, the crevices, the curves in the ceiling…all to take her mind off of what had just happened. She did not want a repeat of the previous incident. _I shall never climb another wall for as long as I live, no matter what!_ She stormed down her path angrily. She was definitely flustered by Ganondorf's previous actions.

_I don't understand._ She said this to herself. _Why did he do that? I thought something was hurting him, and it was out of pity I went over to help him, but he…but he…_she blushed out of fury and embarrassment, but her thoughts were interrupted when she heard soft footsteps behind her. Nabooru gasped and froze in place.

"Nabooru, come with me, I'll show you to your room." It was Kotake.

_Drat!_ Nabooru said in her head. _Just the person I didn't want to see!_ She turned around and straightened her face out into something somewhat decent and respectful. _If Mama wasn't so against it, I'd probably be using cuss words right about now. I've just about had it with keeping my feelings to myself; I know that they are evil!_ Again, she relaxed herself so as not to appear rude to the old witch. "Yes, ma'am, I'll follow you. So long as you don't touch me; I like to have my own personal space." Now there was an excuse that wasn't all that rude to keep the old witch from laying her grimy, evil hands on her.

Kotake simply nodded and smiled…too sweetly. "Come along, now, the moon has grown old and you need some rest." She motioned with her hands to have Nabooru follow her. Reluctantly, Nabooru turned and scurried after her. Kotake was fast on her feet for how old she was.

When they stopped at what appeared to be no more than an ordinary wall, Kotake announced, "We're here!" and gestured towards the wall.

Nabooru looked at the wall with a puzzled expression. "Ma'am, this is a wall."

Kotake looked startled, and then said, "Whoops, silly me!" and then clapped her hands twice. Slowly but surely, the wall rose up into the ceiling above, revealing a room filled with lavish jewels, fine tapestries, rich incenses, and any other form of desert riches possibly imaginable. "Now we're here!"

Nabooru gaped at what she saw. Never in her life had she seen so much luxury in one place. Even the entrance hall was not decorated this lavishly. Then it hit her. This was bribery to get her to stay. _But why are they so intent on keeping me here?_ Nabooru wondered to herself. Little did she know it was all part of Twinrova's plan…

She was brought back to her senses when Kotake said, "This is your room, child. I hope it tickles your fancy."

"Sure," Nabooru nodded, praying that she wouldn't offend the old hag. _Whatever that means…_she added to herself. She walked into the room, and then heard the wall start to close down again.

"Sleep well," said Kotake as she watched the wall slide down into the ground once more. When the wall/door/whatever had resumed its duty as nothing more than a wall, Nabooru scanned the room for a window.

"With all of these tapestries, escaping from way up here should be no problem for me." And so Nabooru set to work immediately gathering the cloths, rugs, sheets, and anything else that could be tied together to make a rope. She was getting out of this place, and she had made up her mind. She was leaving tonight.


	11. Escape and Evade

Chapter Eleven: Escape and Evade

Nabooru worked late into the night tying the large masses of cloth together, but at long last she finally had a long enough rope to at least climb down to the floor below her. From there she could climb down using the cracks and the crevices in the wall, even though fear filled her every time she thought of climbing at all since the incident.

She tied the rope to a statue of the goddess of sand for whom she was named for, and slowly began to lower herself out the open window. A cold sweat consumed her body as soon as she set foot put into the night. The air was frigid cold, and the sky was a foreboding shade of navy-blue, a color rarely seen in the Gerudo sky. It was usually a dark purple of a sort, or even black at night, but never a shade of blue. Keese swarmed overhead, far above the Temple's top, but their cries could be heard even where Nabooru had lowered herself to.

At long last, Nabooru reached the floor below her. She stood on a gargantuan stone hand as she peered out at her surroundings. She gulped and said to herself, "Oh goddesses I hope I don't fall…" and then she began the long scale own the outer walls of the Temple which she so desperately needed to escape. Each step was a dangerous one in which even Nabooru's tiny hands could barely get a firm grasp upon. It probably didn't help that she was now terrified of heights. Yet she eventually reached the ground, and miraculously only slipped a few times escaping with merely a scratch. Nothing too deep at all, just a few minor bumps.

As soon as her foot touched the sand-padded ground, she sighed with relief and relaxed all of her muscles. _I did it! I escaped!_

She was just about to sit down and take a breather when she heard two very familiar voices. It was none other than Koume and Kotake. Nabooru quickly dashed behind a large conveniently located boulder and crouched down, tensing her body up once more.

Koume was the first to speak. "I know I heard something other than those damned Keese out here, and I bet you my broomstick it was that blasted girl. She's almost more trouble than she's worth."

Kotake replied, "I heard it too, sister, and I know for a fact that I'm not going crazy."

Nabooru peered slightly around the side of the boulder. The witches had walked directly in front of the boulder. She held back a frightened gasp and slid back behind the boulder. She tried as hard as she could not to let out a single breath.

Kotake stretched her head to the sky. "Wait just a minute, what in Hell is that?"

Koume looked up to where her sister was gazing and shook her head angrily. "I don't see a damned thing except for those Keese! Let's go back inside and check on Nabooru. If she's not in bed, I swear I'll chain her to it." She started to walk away after that, but Kotake just kept on looking up.

"I know you're here somewhere, girl," she spoke to the sky. "If either one of us finds you, you'll be crow fodder, you here me? You got lucky this time, but mark my words; we will be back for you. Have your fun while it lasts!" and then she scurried to catch up with Koume.

Nabooru let out a long, relieved breath once they were gone for sure. She climbed out from behind the boulder and made a straight dash for the horizon line. "I don't care where I end up, just as long as I'm safe from that stale evil presence; safe from those creepy witches!" And she just ran and ran until her legs could no longer carry her.


	12. Lake Hylia

Chapter Twelve: Lake Hylia

Nabooru awoke in a strange bed with some weird looking old man standing over her. "ACK!" she screamed as she fell out of the bed.

"Ah, you're awake!" said the old man. "I was so worried about you! You just came floating down the waterfall and right into the lake! I was afraid that you might have drowned! Oh, I'm so glad you're alright!" He took Nabooru's hand and helped her stand up.

"Wait…I don't remember any waterfall. Where am I?" she asked the old man.

"Why, you're in Lake Hylia! Or, more specifically, in the Lakeside Laboratory that resides on the banks of Lake Hylia."

"I've never seen a lake before. What is a lake?"

The old man let out a friendly laugh. "Dear child, let me show you!" and he led her out of the door and out into the bright, outside world.

Nabooru gasped, and a huge smile spread across her face. "Wow! I've never seen anything so beautiful in my life!" she exclaimed. She twirled around and tried to take in as much of the scenery as she could handle. She forgot about all of her worries and just drank in the beauty all around her.

The old man laughed again. "So where are you from? No, I shouldn't ask you that. Judging by your dark complexion, the fact that you've never heard of a lake, and that you floated down that waterfall over there leads me to believe that you're from the desert, am I right?"

Nabooru plopped herself down on the ground, dizzy and exhausted from spinning around. All of her memories from the previous night flooded back into her mind at that moment. She had been running away from the Spirit Temple and wound up at the canyon that was in front of where Gerudo Fortress had stood before it had been demolished by the sands. In relief, she collapsed on the ground. Then she realized that she must have rolled over in her sleep and fallen into the water down below. Then she finally answered the old man. "Yeah…"

"Well, you're welcome to stay here for as long as you like until you feel ready to take the journey back to your home."

"No, I think I'll stay here for a while. There's nothing to go back to in the valley."

"Don't you have a mother who's waiting for you?"

"No. Mama's guard said that she went away on vacation or something like that and she's not coming back."

The old man felt his heart almost stop. A great wave of pity rushed over him. He tried to hide the sorrow in his voice. "Well, wouldn't your mother's guard want to know that you're all right?"

"No, she just left me all alone after the sandstorm that destroyed my home. Some guard she was."

The old man was filled with sympathy for the young Gerudo girl. "I'm sure she must have had her reasons. Well, then, you'll have to go back some day. But until then, feel free to stay here as long as you want. If you need anything, I'll be in the lab." Then he got up, a lump in his throat and a tear in his eye, and went back into the lab. "That poor girl," he said to himself.

Nabooru lay on the ground, staring at the sky for a while longer. She had never seen the sky so blue before. And she had never seen so much water in one place. And there was grass. Such a thing was only found at the small oasis out in the desert.

After a while longer, she got up and walked over to an area that had vegetables planted there. There were also two scarecrows, one on the upper level and another on the lower level. She walked to the one on the upper level and poked it. "What in Hyrule is this?" she asked herself.

Then the scarecrow came to life. "Hey, baby! I'm Pierre the Scarecrow! Do you like music? Because I like music! Why don't you sing me a song?"

Nabooru shrugged. "Sure, why not?" And then she started singing the native song of the Gerudo Valley. "The crows will fly, but pass us by… You see, until the day we die… Forsaken as all-knowing eyes… We can not cry…" Nabooru had a very beautiful singing voice.

"That is a nice tune, baby! If you ever want to see me again, just sing that song! I'll be sure to come and help you out!" And then the scarecrow burrowed into the ground.

"That sure was strange…" Nabooru said to herself. "Oh well. I think I've had enough fun for today. I'm going to go back to that old man's lab and see what he does in there all day." And with that, she walked back over to the lab. "At least I can stay here for as long as I like. That might be able to buy me a few years before I have to face those witches again." Little did she know that she would be going back to her home in the desert much sooner that she would have hoped…


	13. Cold Water and Contemplation

Chapter Thirteen: Cold Water and Contemplation

Nabooru opened the door to the laboratory and found the old man fiddling with numerous glass containers with multicolored liquids inside of them and mumbling to himself. Nabooru inched quietly closer to him, curious, but aware that if she made any noise she would be disturbing him. She just wanted a closer look, that was all.

"Con-flabbit! I just can't seem to get this right! Water that will always stay cold! It worked for my father, and his father before him, so why not me?" Then he fiddled around in his drawers and shelves for a while. "Could it be I'm missing a crucial ingredient?" He dug around in his piles of junk some more. "Let's see here… Eyeball frog eye, yes… Water from Lake Hylia, yes, yes… Aha! The one ingredient I'm missing! But how am I supposed to get to Gerudo Valley for that?"

Nabooru felt that she needed to help him out after all that he had done for her. She would be more than willing to go to Gerudo Valley to fetch the ingredient that he needed. She walked up to him and said, "I can go for you."

"Ah!" the man screamed. "When did you get in here?"

"A while ago, mister…hey, what do you want me to call you anyways?"

"Oh!" the old man chuckled his familiar friendly smile again. "You can call me Guy."

"Guy?"

"That's my name, don't wear it out!"

"How do you wear out a name?"

"Oh, never mind that. It's just an old saying around where I'm from. Speaking of names, what's yours, little lady? I'm afraid I never really asked you."

"Oh, it's Nabooru. Nah-boo-roo. But let's not change the subject! I can help you get that ingredient you need from Gerudo Valley if you want." She smiled at the old man named Guy.

The old man looked at her, and his cheery eyes became filled with sorrow. "I could never ask such a thing from you, child. The path is long and dangerous, and there are vicious thieves. Besides, I would be unable to go with you. I'm too old to walk down that path."

"This is why I said I can help you! You've done so much for me, Mr. Guy, and I want to repay the favor. Besides, those thieves are my people! I'm sure…" she cut herself off mid-sentence. _Oh yeah, they all abandoned me. They could care less if I was one of the victims that they killed during their plunders…_ She shivered as she remembered that terrible moment when everyone left her to fend for herself. What did they think she was, some kind of warrior princess? Okay, well she was a princess, but she was only ten years old for crying out loud! They must not have cared much whether she lived or died.

"What's the matter?" Guy asked her after he realized that Nabooru had become silent and solemn. He put his gloved hand on her shoulder in an attempt to console her.

"Ah…nothing," she said as she shook away her sorrow. "I just don't know the way!" and then she looked up at him with the happiest smile she could muster, and the two started to laugh.

"Nabooru, if it is really what you want to do, then I won't stop you. I'll have my good friend Tingle draw you up a map so you won't get lost."

"Thank you, Guy! Oh yeah, if you don't mind me asking, what is the ingredient that you need?"

"It's simple, really. It's the nectar of a Gerudo Cactus Flower. They're found in the oasis just passed the Haunted Wasteland."

Nabooru felt an enormous shockwave pulse through her body. _No way, I can't go back there! Not when I've only just managed to get away! What if those two hags find me? What will I do? But I promised this kind old man that I would help him! A Gerudo never goes back on her word!_ "So all I've got to do is get the Cactus Flower and come back here so you can take out the nectar, right?" she hesitantly asked.

"Yes, that's it! Hey, are you sure that you're okay with doing this? You seem awfully scared. You know, you don't have to go. It's awfully dangerous, and I have a feeling that there's someone or something there that you'd rather not have to see. How about you sleep on it, and if you're still up to it in the morning, I'll let you go, okay?"

Nabooru nodded. If all she had to do was get the flower and run for her life, things would be a cinch, right? She was determined to get through this. She was taking it into consideration that this could be part of her training as the Princess of Thieves.

Later on, far passed the time the sun had set, Nabooru finally settled down into the bed inside of the Laboratory. Her mind was heavy with the choice she could make. "One, go back to Gerudo Desert, risk being captured by the ugly hags, and if I come back successfully I could be almost regarded as a savior; or two, let the old man down, but get to stay at the beautiful lake and be able to completely avoid Koume and Kotake for sure." She stared at the ceiling for a while longer, watching the patterns of the water from the pool next to her dance across the ceiling. "I think I'll go with option number One." And then she drifted off to sleep.


	14. Departure

Chapter Fourteen: Departure

But that morning, Nabooru backed down from her decision. She was still weak from her previous misadventure, and she would rather rest some more. The old man was relieved to hear that she was going to wait a little longer before going back. He didn't feel all that comfortable with letting a ten year old girl run off to get killed by who-knows-what.

And so, Nabooru stayed at the Lakeside Laboratory for a little over a year, and came to love the lake and her new friend, the old man. She even came to know and love the strange Zora people who visited the Lake frequently. She was even close friends with the Zora Princess, Ruto. Because of her newfound loves, her decision to go back to the desert was always wavering. But on the night of the one-month anniversary of her eleventh birthday, she decided once and for all that she would go back.

Morning came, and her decision stayed the same. Nabooru would cross the desert for the third time and retrieve the flower. Maybe if she was lucky, she could bring back a whole bunch of flowers so that the man could make more than enough of that mysterious cold water he'd spoken of so many times.

"Awake, now, are you?" asked the old man. He was fiddling through his papers and organizing his desk while he said this, he didn't even need to turn around to know that Nabooru had awoken.

Nabooru jumped slightly. "Yeah, I guess. How did you know I was awake?"

"Simple, really. Your breathing pattern changed."

"You could hear me breathe?" She cringed in the bed. _Creepy_…

"Oh, just a little. I'm sure that most normal people wouldn't be able to hear you, though, so I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. Oh, but on another note, I had Tingle draw up that map about a month ago. I'd forgotten all about it until now, but it's about time I give it to you. It's finished now, if you'd like to see it. That is, if you still want to go to the desert."

"Yeah, I'm still going to go! Can I see the map?"

"Yes, here it is." The man pulled out a sheet of paper from the mess on his desk and handed it to Nabooru, without even turning around. It was an intricately detailed and flawless map. "We are here," he said, pointing to the little dot in the big blue area. "You need to get here," he added as he traced his finger up the map, ending up with it on the green spot in the desert area.

"That's really far away!" said Nabooru.

"I know. That's why I didn't feel all that great with you going up there all alone. It's a little more than a day's trip. Are you absolutely sure about this?"

"Yes, yes, for the last time, I'm not backing down again! I've put this off for far too long! I really want to do this for you. It's the least I could do in return for your generosity."

"Alright, then, I know that I can't talk you out of this. Take this map and wait outside for me. I'll be out in just a moment."

Nabooru nodded and took the map. She folded it up and put it in her satchel. She took one last look around the inside of the Lakeside Laboratory, just in case she would never see it again. She knew for a fact that even if she did manage to get the flowers, her chances of getting back to Lake Hylia alive a second time were slim. She had a rising feeling that something was going to keep her from finishing the job. After a few moments of thought, she walked outside, drinking in the morning sunlight and gazing into the lake.

After a few minutes, Guy walked outside the door. He was smiling, but his eyes were sad. He was going to miss the little Gerudo girl. He took off his pouch and gave it to Nabooru. "Here," he said to her. "In it is all the provisions that you should need to get to Desert Colossus and back. Well, anyways, I want you to have this, too…" He dug around in his pocket for a bit, and then pulled out a glass bottle a little larger than the size of his fist that was filled with what appeared to be water. "It's the water that will never get warm."

Nabooru accepted the bottle and put it in the pouch. "But I thought the reason I was going to the desert again would be so that you would be able to make this stuff!"

"You are."

"Than why do you have this?"

"That is all of the water that was left from when my father did research in this very same lab. It used to be a business trade for us, we'd sell this water, but then he was taken hostage by the Gerudo and he was never seen again. In an attempt to keep his research secret, he burned it all the night he was taken." The old man's eyes started to fill with tears as this old memory resurfaced. "I've spent my entire life trying to rediscover the secret, and now that I have, I'm resting all of my hopes on you, a child of the Gerudo, the very people who took my father in the first place. Ironic, how this world of ours works, isn't it?" A large tear dripped down his face.

Nabooru ran over to the old man and hugged him. "I'm so sorry! This must be all you have to remember your father by, and now I'll be using the last of it! I'm so sorry that my people were so cruel to you! I will do everything in my power to make it up to you, and when I become ruler of the Gerudo I will reform our treacherous ways! Oh, please, please forgive us!" and then Nabooru was crying right along with him, and hugging him.

It was strange how in the short time they had spend together, they had become as much like a father and daughter as a Hylian and a Gerudo can get. This parting was going to be hard for the both of them.

When both of them had dried their tears, Nabooru decided that it was high time she took her leave. "I guess I'll see you around, Guy. I'll miss you. I'll come back with those flowers as soon as I can, I promise!" and then she ran of into the horizon, with the old man waving at her in silence, a solemn smile engraved into his wrinkled face.


	15. Enter Aveil

Chapter Fifteen: Enter Aveil

It was already high noon, and Nabooru was feeling like she had barely made any progress. "That man sure wasn't exaggerating when he said Hyrule was huge…this place is amazing! It's almost too big!" She sat down on the grass for a while and decided to rest for a bit there. She took out one of the dried fish that had been wrapped up inside the bag. "Lunch time!" she said to herself. She took a big bite out of the fishy goodness.

When she had finished eating, she lay down on her back and started to look at the sky. She sighed heavily. "I'm never going to get anywhere if I stay here too long…but a little break can't hurt. After all, I've been wandering all day." She kicked up her legs and propped her head up on top of her arms. Right as she did this, she heard a sharp spinning noise.

"Oh crap, what was that?" she said to herself, immediately sitting up and scanning her surroundings for any signs of danger. In the corner of her eye, she spotted what appeared to be a gigantic flying pineapple. In her studies, she had learned all about the different creatures that dwelt within the country of Hyrule, and she knew that without a doubt that this was a Peahat, one of the most deadly of all Hylian beasts. "Peahat!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, before making a mad-dash in the direction of Gerudo Valley.

She ran and ran until she was nearly out of breath, and the Peahat was still hot on her trail. But then, as if out of nowhere, there was a shrill shrieking sound that lasted all of two seconds, and then the Peahat had evaporated into blue flames and disappeared with the wind.

"You okay?" asked a female voice.

Nabooru turned around to see a fellow Gerudo who was dressed in mostly red Gerudo silks and had long red hair with her bangs parted in the center, held back by a large yellow jewel. A matching yellow jewel graced her chest as a brooch as well, and there was even another one in the ornament that was keeping her hair back. She was wearing pale pink lipstick, which was highly unusual considering the fact that Gerudo women always wore white lipstick unless their battle rank instructed otherwise, and pale pink was not on the list. She was holding two highly decorated scimitars; one in either hand, which is probably what she used to dispose of the Peahat. She looked like she was about fifteen, four years older than Nabooru. "Thank you for saving me…" she panted. "But who are you?"

"I'm Aveil, a Gerudo like you!" she smiled, resting the blunt end of one of her two scimitars on her shoulder. "But I have a question for you: who are you? I've never heard of Gerudo living outside of the Valley or the Bay. You lost or something?"

"That was two questions!" smiled Nabooru. "But I'll answer them anyways. My name's Nabooru. And no, I am not lost."

Aveil's smile suddenly vanished from her face. "Nabooru?" she repeated to herself so quietly that Nabooru couldn't possibly have heard her say it. She dropped her arms and put her red veil back over her mouth. _Where have you been all this time, Nabooru?_ She jumped down off of the ledge she had been standing on and landed gracefully in front of Nabooru. "Why don't I take you home, kid? I'm sure everyone will be happy to see you, especially the king."

"Ganondorf?" asked Nabooru. Her face flushed a slight shade of pink.

"Yeah. He's been worried sick about you. You're one of the only things he talks about, besides the oasis and his duties."

"How do you know him?" asked Nabooru, feeling a tinge of jealously rise, although she herself couldn't explain where it was coming from.

"I'm just an acquaintance," replied Aveil. A look of regret filled her eyes.

Nabooru felt guilty for expressing jealousy towards Aveil, but then curiosity overpowered her once again. "I don't understand. How come I've never heard of you before?"

"I live at the bay. I'm a pirate! My mom sent me off to Termina to train, and I guess before I knew it seven years had passed, and I figured it was about time for me to visit. But I had no idea how much it had changed." Aveil then got silent, and wouldn't speak anymore. Nabooru decided that it would be best not to pry any further.

That night, the two Gerudo girls camped out in front of the entrance to Gerudo Valley. The two decided that perhaps it would be best if they went back in broad daylight. Nabooru, very trusting of her newfound friend, found sleep immediately. Aveil, on the other hand, was not entirely what she seemed. The blood of thievery ran strong through her veins, and she wasn't exactly all too fond of the future Sage of Spirit who had abandoned her people. She sat up, and using her stealthy piracy skills, she opened the pouch that Nabooru had been carrying and found the bottle of water that would never get warm.

A rush of old memories and stories rushed into her mind at the moment she felt the unnatural chill of the liquid. "It can't be…" she whispered to herself. Her job just got a lot more complicated.


	16. Exile

Chapter Sixteen: Exile

"I can't just take it. She would suspect something. But…if she knows something about this water…anything at all…" She looked over her shoulder at the sleeping girl. "I can't just…"

Nabooru shifted in her sleep. Aveil shuddered, obviously startled by the sudden movement, and then hastily put the water in her own satchel. She replaced the empty space in Nabooru's bag with a bottle of ordinary, sweetened water, and then turned around to look at the stars.

"I don't know if you can hear me, sisters, but I swear I will avenge you. You did not deserve the fate you met on that day so long ago." And thus she lay her head down, and drifted to sleep alongside the runaway Gerudo Princess.

Morning dawned. Nabooru awakened far earlier than Aveil, but she didn't move from her spot, for she did not want to leave without her newfound "friend." But in the meantime, she sifted through her bag to look for something that she could eat for breakfast. She noticed that her belongings had been tampered with.

"It couldn't have been Aveil…could it?" she quietly whispered to herself. But she moved some objects around, taking them all out and replacing them one by one, and discovered that, although the contents had been moved, they were all still there. A shiver was sent coursing down Nabooru's spine as she picked up the bottle of what appeared to be the cold water, and then she looked at Aveil. Suddenly, a tiny hint of fear appeared within her. "It couldn't be…"

Aveil awoke with a start, shooting her body up and immediately reaching for her two oversized swords. She rolled behind Nabooru, a death-glare in her eyes, and positioned her swords so that Nabooru could not move unless she didn't mind getting sliced to pieces. "You aren't going anywhere, Princess."

Nabooru's entire body was filled with fear from the tiny speck that had appeared just moments before. She could not move; she could not speak. She could not even utter a slight cry for help. All she could do was stand motionless as the fate of her life or death rested mere centimeters from her body.

"What's the matter," cooed Aveil. "Scared? Some princess you turned out to be."

"What…do…what do you…mean?" Nabooru managed to squeeze out of her throat.

"As if you don't know, Nabooru. You abandoned your people, you caused the great king insufferable pain, and you consorted with our enemy, who is guilty of a crime committed against our race. You, princess, are a traitor." She drew her swords in a little bit closer to Nabooru, who, in response, stiffened her body even more so than it had been.

"What?"

"The water…that never loses it's chill. It was a byproduct of extensive research done at Lake Hylia. It was the first-and last time that our people consulted with Hylian men. For it was there that one betrayed us, and all research was lost. All results were lost. At least, that is what has been believed. Until now…"

"What do you mean?"

"You carried the product of the research with you not too long ago. So I know that the enemy, or at least someone close to him, has been in close contact with you. Making your hands as good as bloody-red."

"Guilty of what?"

Aveil lessened the tightness of her hold on Nabooru. "Ten years ago, a team of our best Gerudo scholars went to Lake Hylia to conduct research on why the water from the lake stayed at a constant temperature longer than the water from our waterfall in the valley, which was the very source of the water from the lake. There, we met with a man who was conducting similar research. They decided to work as a team, and they eventually came up with a way to keep the water colder longer than it already was able to keep cool. Then, on the very night when the final product was made, one of our people was found dead…my sister. She had been raped and murdered by the Hylian man. We took the man and tied him up so that we could take him to the valley to put him on trial."

Nabooru winced when she heard the gruesome fate that Aveil's sister had met. She also thought that parts of this story were starting to sound awfully familiar. Parts such as where the man was taken, and the research at Lake Hylia on the water…

Aveil continued her story. "But then he burned all of the research, and with the same fire he used to do that, he freed himself from his bondages. But he did not escape, for as soon as it had been discovered, we moved in to recapture him. He then murdered the rest of us, and killed himself shortly after…cynical tears in his eyes. He killed all of us…All but one."

Nabooru felt afraid. Could this have been a different side of the old man's story from before? How did she manage to get herself caught up in something as awful as this? "How do you know all of this?" she asked.

"Because _I_ am the one who survived." Aveil held the tip of her sword right up to Nabooru's jugular vein.

Just then, a dark skinned boy on a black horse galloped over to the girls from the entrance to Gerudo Valley. He lowered a sword down beside Aveil's head. "What in hell are you doing, Aveil?" he commanded.

Aveil's eyes filled with shock, and she instantly dropped her swords. "My…my lord?"

Something about that voice sounded awfully familiar to Nabooru. She turned around to see a handsome boy adorned in traditional Gerudo attire, only as a male outfit. He was well muscled, though not too bulky, and his gleaming red hair was cut in such a fashion that it framed his beautiful face. "Nabooru?"

He dismounted from his black horse and ran beside her. He was about to hug her, but he remembered that time back in the temple when she had rejected his touch. He forced himself to keep his hands to his sides. "Where have you been?"

Nabooru was bright red in the face, and her heart was fluttering faster than it ever had before. "I've…been at the Lake…" she stuttered. _Oh goddesses, he's definitely more handsome than I remember…_

Aveil interrupted their little romantic moment. "Excuse me, lord Ganondorf, if I may have a word?" It looked weird for her to be calling the eleven-year-old boy "lord," especially since he was so much younger than her, although only shorter than her by about three or four inches. He was very tall for his age.

"What is it?" he asked angrily.

"The princess is suspect for consorting with a traitor of our people. The penalty is death, my lord."

"I know very well the laws of our people. But have you perhaps considered that the princess was fooled? It is of no fault of her own."

"But my lord…"

"Silence! Now, your punishment, Aveil, for assaulting your superior and talking back to your king, you are hereby banished to the Great Bay! Now, take your leave, for I do not want to see your face ever again."

Aveil's face filled with a look like her soul had just been torn mercilessly from her body. Her pupils dilated, and her mouth hung open. It was apparent that she was trying as hard as she could to keep the tears in. "As…you wish…my lord…" she muttered, before turning around and walking away into the distance.

zzz

A/N: And that is my explanation as to why Aveil and other Gerudo live in Termina as pirates. I'm sorry that it took so long to post this chapter; I've had a lot going on, including writing chapters for other fan fictions. Forgive me!


	17. Prince Charming

Chapter Seventeen: Prince Charming…err…Ganondorf

As soon as Aveil had disappeared beyond the morning horizon, Ganondorf's expression eased, and he turned towards Nabooru. His eyes were soft as he looked at her. Soft…and innocent…

"How have you been getting by all by yourself?" he asked her.

She shied her face away from him as she felt the heat rise to her cheeks. "I've been staying with an old man who rescued me from drowning. He was very kind to me, but after what I've heard from Aveil…"

"Are you really so worried about that? Don't be. That case has been closed for a while now. The murderer was disposed of, and only his son survived. But his son had nothing to do with the crimes committed against our people. You were perfectly safe with that man at the lake."

Nabooru let out a deep breath that she hadn't known she had been holding in. "I…" she began. "How do you know all of this? Why…"

Ganondorf interrupted her. "Let's go home, okay?"

Nabooru grunted and crossed her arms. She didn't like to be interrupted. But she followed along anyways. "Home as in where? I don't really want to go back to the old temple, if that's what you mean by home."

"Why not?" he asked her, looking back into her eyes as he asked. He cocked his head playfully and smiled at her. Nabooru felt shivers rush down her spine when he looked at her like that. Her heart was starting to beat faster. She couldn't help but wonder how he could do that to her. How he could control her body in such an unusual way.

"I don't like the feeling I get around the witches you call your mothers," she replied as she tried to suppress her feelings. "That place is no home to me. They are no mothers to me. They are…evil, can't you sense it? "

Ganondorf looked away from her and stopped acting playful. His eyes fell to his feet, and his tone became serious now. "Oh, you're just being ridiculous now. But you don't have to worry about them. They've gone on a trip to a swamp or something like that to freshen up on their magic. At least that's what they've told me."

"A swamp? I didn't know there was a swamp in Hyrule."

"There isn't. They've gone to Termina, the same place that Aveil has been banished to as well. Only she has gone to the ocean, while they have gone to the swamp."

Nabooru pondered what this strange "Termina" place was. It must have been a pretty awful place to banish people there…and especially if there was a disgusting swamp there. Ganondorf interrupted her thoughts.

"Where should we go, then?" she asked her.

Nabooru let out a sigh of relief as she uncrossed her arms and let them hang by her side. "Can you take me to the Oasis just passed the Haunted Wasteland then? I need to get something from there. Then I want to go right back to the Fortress. Surely it's been rebuilt by now, right?"

"As you wish, my lady," Ganondorf said as he mounted his horse, reaching up his hand to her so that he could pull her up behind him. His smile melted her insides in a single moment. She hated it and loved it at the same time.

Nabooru took his hand and mounted the horse, wrapping her arms tightly around Ganondorf's muscular waist, so that she would not fall off. She couldn't help but to let out a little squeal of happiness for being so close to him. But she quickly stopped herself. It wasn't proper. And it was just plain weird. Besides, he was just a boy, and she was just another Gerudo. She had no business getting all lovey-dovey over him. Nor did she fully want to, for that matter. But she couldn't say the same for Ganondorf. Did he feel the same way for her? He appeared to have feelings for her, and he was so kind to her. She hoped she was wrong…

As they rode into the Valley and then through the Gerudo Fortress, huge clusters of the red-haired, dark-skinned women clustered around them, cheering. "The princess has returned!" It was amazing. Never in her entire life had people been so happy to see her. No one had ever seemed to care much about her. Had they only realized what they had done by abandoning her after she had disappeared from their lives? Music began to play as the two royal Gerudo rode through the Valley, and there was much rejoicing.

All throughout the rest of the day, there were parties and dances. Nabooru had never before felt more accepted in her life. And she had never before tasted such delicious food, or visited so many of her own people. It was a glorious day, and she was certain that life could only get better from here on out. And tomorrow morning, she would repay her debt to the old man by finding the flower and sending it down the river. The goddesses were surely smiling down upon her.


End file.
